Ray’s Advice for Passing the PMP Exam After Just Four Days of Prep

Ray sent me an email this AM commenting about my blog post on him yesterday. He was a little embarassed by my glowing praise for him and he reminded me – for him, it’s really all about the success of our Cheetah students. (For me, I like to celebrate all our Cheetah’s – those on the inside team (like Ray) and our students who become Cheetah’s and take their careers to the moon and beyond). Here is Ray’s advice to those pursuing their PMP with Cheetah:

it’s not about how hard one works but more about the belief one has in themselves.

“I’ve been a Cheetah coach/instructor for nearly 15 years. During that time, I’ve assisted thousands of PMP hopefuls to reach their objective. You might think that after that much experience that I’m quite comfortable with the PMBOK and the project management standard it establishes and, you’d be right. However, one thing that never ceases to amaze me is how much I learn from each class and each student. Not about the project management or the PMBOK but about myself and how I can often be my own worst enemy.

Here’s one example. When I was “graduating” elementary school at the ripe old age of twelve, I was busily collecting signatures and words of encouragement from family and friends in my little, faux leather autograph book, as was the custom in my grade school. There were the typical entries of Best Wishes with only a first name from dear friends I can no longer remember. When my father made an entry, he wrote, “He will succeed, who says I can.” I remember the disappointment as I read that entry with my 12-year-old wisdom. “He just doesn’t understand. It’s not that easy for me. He doesn’t understand how hard things are for me and hard I’m trying.” I still have that little book (see attached photo) and that phrase still echoes in my mind.

As a Cheetah coach, I often hear students communicate the same thing; that I don’t understand how hard it is or, how hard they are working. However, what I’ve learned as a Cheetah coach is that it’s not about how hard one works but more about the belief one has in themselves.

Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” Marry that with a quote credited to Woody Allen who said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” And you have the secret of success, the secret to passing the PMP exam and, what my father was trying to tell me all those years ago — Believe in yourself and try again.”

Thank you Ray for your insightful words of wisdom on PMP preparation and planning – yes you can in fact pass the PMP exam after only four days of prep. And you can go on to do even more amazing things in your career, especially after you learn how to learn cheetah fast – like you do in Cheetah’s Exam Prep class for the PMP. A research scientist studied the entire population of PMP exam prep providers several years ago. She was working on her dissertation to evaluate if pursuing the PMP exam increased a person’s self – efficacy – that is their belief in their ability to achieve their goals (their “I can.”). She inquired with a wide cross section of PMP Exam Prep providers but Cheetah Learning provided 99% of her sample as the others did not have sufficient enrollment to participate (an interesting side detail). She was able to validate her theory on how people can increase their self-efficacy by passing the very difficult PMP exam – well at least for Cheetah Learning students.

For more PMP certification preparation tips, how to pass the exam after only four days of prep, and how to improve your “I can” – download your Free copy of the Fast Track Guide to the PMP.

What Our Clients Are Saying...

“The first thing my boss said when I told him I was interested in getting my PMP certification was that if I was going to do it, he’d heard Cheetah Learning was the best.”

Mark Johnson

PMP

“Maintaining a team of certified Project Managers is a critical success factor in our competitive strategy. We hire some of the smartest and most talented people in our industry and we need to make sure any external training we use hits the mark consistently. And this is why we keep sending our folks to Cheetah Learning to get and keep their Project Management skills top notch. With Cheetah, the best of the best get even better.”

Ray C. Pitt

PMP

“A lot of people were joking that I did not need the class, but believe me I did. The PMP Exam is very unique and I personally do not believe that anyone will pass the exam without specific preparation… I always believe that any academic work will assist the practical side of the working knowledge, and the exam proved that again to me. I really believe that your course was the single most important part that contributed to my passing the exam. Thanks again and you are welcome to use me as a reference where you need me in the future.”

Dawie Steenkamp

PMP

“I just wanted to thank you again for your assistance with the memory map, and to let you know that I thought [Cheetah PMP coach] Jeff did a fabulous job last week. On day one Jeff said, ‘Stick with me, follow the program, and you will pass the test.’ He was right! I did pass the test, and I do not believe I could have done so without his assistance. He did a great job of keeping the class on track, answering our questions, and giving us great insights, tips, and techniques.”

Frank Peters

PMP

“We have been very pleased with our experience with Cheetah, so it is no surprise that another BAH [Booz Allen Hamilton] group is organizing a PMP session with you.”

Dana Yoo

Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton

“The Cheetah PMP prep program has helped our Project Managers achieve this important certification of knowledge and experience. The pursuit of this certification has developed the JDA Consulting Services Project Managers into strong project leaders.”

Tony

Senior Director of JDA Consulting Services

“If you had charged me $10,000 for this, I would have been happy to pay it. This [Cheetah Exam Prep® for the PMP® Exam] was the best course I ever took. PERIOD.”

J. C.

PMP, Project Manager – Jade Kat Project Management Inc.

“Just a note to let you know I passed the PMP exam with an 84%! I cannot imagine being able to study for and pass the PMP exam in so short a time were it not for your class. I seriously doubted whether the information required to pass the PMP exam could be covered and digested in only four days. I reasoned, however, that since you offer a money-back guarantee, there was little risk in taking a chance. It was so much easier to buy knowing that it was only a week out of my life, and if I didn’t pass, I would get all of my money back. The real proof of your class was that I passed the test and with an 84%, no less. I was impressed with your system, your instructors and with the results. It was results that I paid for, and it was results that your class delivered. I will be recommending your class to every Project Manager I know.”

M. B.

PMP, CEO - Clickguide Inc.

“I really like these on-line classes. I can travel quite a bit and it can be difficult to make local PMI meetings or attend local classes. As you know, it is very important to keep the PDUs in order to retain PMP status. I know some PMs who end up rushing to take classes to remain current.”

S. K.

PMP

“I’ve done two online courses late this year to complete my 60 PDUs, the other from a well-known provider, and this course [Cheetah’s PM Strength Builder] was much better… I actually got something out of it, rather than just spending the time going through the motions. Thanks.”

" "PMP", "CAPM" and the PMP and CAPM logos are certification marks of the Project Management Institute which are registered in the United States and other nations. The PMBOK® Guide - 6th Edition is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute. CHEETAH LEARNING® provides both CAPM and PMP Exam preparation and continuing education for Project Managers."